KLance: Temporary Change
by KittyKanne
Summary: After responding to a call for help, the Voltron team find themselves on a mission to rescue two of their own as well as the aliens they came to save. While Shiro makes the attempt to rescue Keith, Lance is placed in a very difficult situation.
1. The Beginning

_A/N. I don't own anything except for the story itself! This is my first fanfiction, so I would appreciate constructive criticism, but, please, no flames. Thanks, and enjoy! -Katrina "Kitty" Kanne _

LANCE POV.

I was alone. There was nothing. Why was it so dark? I crawled forward, only to find I couldn't. Something had ahold of my legs and wouldn't let me go. I reached down, and my hand brushed against something wet. Something… slimy? What in the world was going on? Where was I? I reached down again and pulled at the thing on my legs. It wouldn't budge, so I pulled harder. It hurt. Wait. Why did it hurt? What in the actual quiznak was going on?!

Suddenly my eyes shot open. I was… sleeping? No, that couldn't be right. Wasn't I just with Keith and the others? Why wasn't I now?! Oh, that's right; we'd gone out in response to a distress signal. It was coming from a civilized planet taken over by Galra, though I couldn't remember said planet's name. What else was new?

When we landed, Keith and I were promptly sent to check out the immediate area. Why is it always Keith? Why do I have to put up with him of all people? Does Shiro think it's entertaining to pair us together for every single mission? I'm soooo going to talk to him when I get back to the castle. At any rate, everything was peaceful. Well, that is until a pair of Galra soldiers snuck up behind us and knocked Keith out.

After that, it's a blur. We fought. I tried carrying Keith back to the others, but with him on my back I was a bit slower than normal, allowing the Galra to catch up with me. They shot me in the thigh causing me to fall instantly. Let's just say we didn't make it back to the others.

And now I was there, wherever "there" was. I don't recall anything after being brought back to the Galra base. The last thing I saw was Keith being dragged into the cell opposite mine.

KEITH POV

Where… oh, right. That stupid "Sharpshooter" and I went scouting and were ambushed… Right… Wait, where is he? "Lance?" I waited for his typical sarcastic response. Oh, God, I hope he's still in his cell. "Lance, come on. You can be as upset with me as you want, but please acknowledge I'm talking to you." Ohhhhh no. I did not just sound that desperate. I. Did. Not. He didn't answer. Why didn't he answer? I got up and ran to the door of my cell.

I almost had a heart attack when I looked across the hall. He wasn't there! "LANCE?!" A Galra soldier must have overheard me because in a split second I was poked with some sort of rod. It didn't actually hurt until a fierce burst of electricity shot through me. I screamed and fell to the floor paralyzed. What in the hell was that thing? Before I really got a chance to think about that, or anything for that matter, I blacked out again.

LANCE POV

Well, I finally managed to figure out that the thing I was fighting, you know, the thing on my legs? It was, in fact, part of me… Somehow instead of legs, I undoubtedly had a fin. Did this make me, like, a "merman"? I'm never hearing the end of this, am I?

I reached out and around me. My hand swept across a firm surface. It felt like metal. Was I in some sort of metal box? This couldn't end well…

KEITH POV

I awoke to a familiar scent. I could hear something clanging on the bars of my cell, but I didn't really care. It was likely just another guard trying to gain my attention, so he had an excuse to electrocute me again. I was not falling for that trick.

"Keith! Hey, can you hear me?" Wait, that couldn't be right. The clanging on the bars, the smell, it was…

"Shiro?!" Was it really? How did he find me? Did he have Lance? I had so many questions.

"Keep it down! You'll get us caught!" Oh, that's right.

"Shiro, where's Lance?" I looked behind him, fully expecting Lance to make a remark about me not noticing his "handsome face."

"He's not with you?" Oh, no... No, no, no, no, no!

"No! He was in the cell across the hall, but obviously, he's not there now!" My words were laced with anger and frustration. I felt terrible for getting upset, but I was worried about Lance.

"Keith, we'll find him. For now, however, we need to focus on getting you out of here. We can't do anything else until that's done." He must have realized how worried I was. That was just brilliant.

"Right." I started to focus on getting to the door, rather than what Lance could possibly be going through right now. I wouldn't be much use to anyone if I couldn't even do that.

LANCE POV

'Alright… It's a box. Nothing to worry about. I'm going to be fine. I just need to find a door. Maybe a thin spot?' I was terrified. It's true. But I wasn't used to being alone. Especially without Keith coming to "yell" at me for being careless. Oh… Keith… I calmed down a little thinking about him. Was he okay, though? Where was he?

I needed to get out. I had to find him. But I needed to be careful about it. What would he think if he knew I harbored feelings for him? He'd probably despise me. I didn't want to lose what I had with him, even if it was just a rivalry. That was as close as I could get.

I spun around as best I could and knocked on the wall. Nothing. I ran my hands down, up, around, just looking for a way out. Finally, after about fifteen minutes or so (well, if I could actually tell time, that would be), I discovered something sticking out of the top of the metal container. The air was beginning to become thin, and I needed to hurry. I pulled as hard as I could, but it didn't budge. I started freaking out.

I felt around the piece and found a small, well what I believed was, a pin toward the top of the metal thing. I pulled on it and the handle-thing shot up allowing the box to fill with water. Instantly I could breathe again. I pushed myself up and out of the container. The light hurt my eyes, but after letting myself calm down and focus, I could see.

Around me, there were enormous poles connected to some sort of platform above the water. The water was bright, so I obtained a clear view of the floor of whatever body of water I was in. It was blue, like the oceans back on Earth, but it was clearer. I could see for probably a mile. The fish around me were colorful but lacked the normal scaly skin that fish on Earth did, making them seem more animated. They swam in schools of thirty or more, surveying me with glossy eyes as they swam, not afraid of me at all.

I turned around and looked at the metal box I was in. I was roughly the size of a dresser, but it was broader. I had to curl my fin to fit inside. Speaking of which, I glanced down and looked at what used to be my legs. It was a delicate blue with darker blue spots along the side. On the back was a spiny fin making it seem more dangerous than it probably needed to after seeing how peaceful the water was. The caudal fin was massive and almost transparent. It was the same color as the base of the rest of the fin. I embraced the opportunity to see how well I could move it. It proved more challenging than I thought. The water resisting my movement was thick, making it hard to swim. I pushed off the crate and fell to the floor of what I assumed was some sort of lake. There hadn't been any oceans on this planet. The sand was warm, despite the sunlight being dimmer than up on the surface.

I propped my head on a rock and spread myself out like I would if I were in my bed back in the castle. Well, as spread out as I could, that is. I gazed at the fish floating above me like clouds on a clear summer's day. It was relaxing and peaceful. Somehow all of my fears and frustrations from before had completely vanished. I wasn't even trying to figure out how to get home. I was comfortable where I was and had no intentions of leaving any time soon.

KEITH POV

I got up and jogged to the bars of my cell keeping certain I was silent the whole time. I didn't want anyone to hear us and throw my only chance of escape into a cell, too. Shiro used some sort of tool that he had presumably found before coming to find me to open the door. It looked similar to the rod that the Galra soldier had used to electrocute me earlier, but it was smaller and had some sort of writing on it. It wasn't Galra, though. I couldn't read it. He positioned it into some sort of locking mechanism and turned it like a key. The cell door swung open allowing me to step out into the hallway.

I looked at Shiro expectantly. He nodded and started off toward the right. I followed him hoping none of the guards would notice us. But when has Voltron ever actually made a clean escape? There's inevitably some sort of explosion or fighting that happens before we can return home, so my hope was hopeless. As soon as we turned the corner a Galra spotted us. He was taller than me but wasn't quite as slim. He charged at us with one of those electric rods, but I was prepared. I dodged his attack easily and struck him from behind sending him flying into the wall behind us. It definitely wasn't the hardest fight I've ever had, that was for sure.

We continued on our way as fast and as quietly as we could. Shiro had explained what had happened while Lance and I were gone. They had pinpointed the signal and discovered a mother and her two sons in some sort of aircraft. It was busted, though. Some Galra soldier had shot them down but hadn't bothered to go get them. I guess they didn't need the women and children for whatever horrendous task they kept the men for. At any rate, Pidge got the ship flying again and had them on their way in no time. Hunk had prepared lunch and everyone was just about to head back to their lions when they realized we still weren't back.

Shiro tried contacting us through our helmets but when that didn't work he commanded the others to stay with the lions and he came to find us. When he saw the blood from Lance getting shot (I'm assuming it's Lance's because there was no way that he could have taken on the Galra by himself with me out cold. It sure in hell wasn't mine. All I remembered was he lifted me onto his back and started off in the direction of the lions. That's when I blanked.) he started to worry.

Shiro narrated to me how he had gotten past the Galra guards by distracting them. He had hurled a rock to the side When one soldier had gone to go examine it, he cut down a piece of the fence. This caused a large portion to collapse. The other Galra went to investigate that and Shiro snuck inside.

When we came to the doors that lead outside I stopped. "Keith? What's wrong?" Shiro asked worriedly.

"I thought I just heard…" but then I detected it again. I ran toward where I had heard the sound the first time. Back the way we had come. I was following a familiar sound. One that I heard every day. It was Lance's voice.

I ran down the hallway and stopped to listen. I could hear Shiro coming up behind me. "What are you doing?" he asked. I knew we should go get the others just in case, but I couldn't wait. It was Lance!

I listened carefully at the end of the hall. The sound was coming from the right, the opposite direction of where my cell was. I ran as fast as I could following the sound of Lance's voice. I couldn't decipher what he was saying, but there was no misconstruing it.

About halfway down the hallway, I came to a door. I swung it open and stepped inside. That… was a mistake. Inside were four Galra soldiers hovering over a computer. The screen conveyed Lance on one of our past missions. He was calling over his shoulder to Shiro, Pidge, and I that he had uncovered something. I remember being the first one at his side, even though it was just a rock. Sure, it did look like a heart, but still. It was just a rock.

My heart sunk at the sight. I almost dropped to the floor. In fact, I would have if it wasn't for Shiro dragging me out the door as fast as he could. I returned to reality and started running. One of the Galra in the room had triggered an alarm. Ahead of us, where we needed to go to get out, stood a wall of Galra with those electric rods. We stopped where we stood. "Keith... Next time when I say we need to leave, listen, please…" Shiro sounded irritated.

"Right…" I felt pathetic. It was my fault we were in this mess. I didn't listen and took off on my own. Now we really were in trouble…

"Alright. I'll take the three on the left; you've got the right." I nodded and pulled out my sword. I charged into the group of soldiers with my arm raised, prepared to attack.

LANCE POV

As I was lying on the sand enjoying the warmth of the water I noticed something swim by. It was fast, dark, and long. 'I wonder what that is…' I thought as I followed it. I still hadn't gotten used to the density of the water or my fin, but I was getting the hang of it. I flicked my tail back and forth as a shark would and gained momentum. I pushed myself off the bottom and swam toward the figure. It slipped just out of my sight, but I knew it couldn't have gotten that far.

I used the rocks on the bottom to provide myself a boost. About a football fields' length away from where I had started my hand slipped off a rock. A jagged edge cut my arm and caused me to bleed. I didn't think anything of it until I was surrounded by fish with hunger clear in their eyes. I glanced to my left, then to my right. Up, down, behind; they were all around me. I couldn't see any clear escape.

The figure from before swam back and took out half the fish in one blow. Its tail was smooth and dark. I couldn't identify the rest of it, but I assumed it was another type of fish. It twisted around and looked me dead in the eye before it's arms reached out and grasped me. This wasn't a fish. It was like me; some sort of merfolk. I struggled against it, but it wouldn't let go.

I utilized all my force to swim back in the direction I came, but with my arm still bleeding, the entirety of the water became filled with carnivorous fish similar to the ones that this creature had just saved me from. I took advantage of my surroundings and snatched up a piece of rock. I bashed the mer-thing in the head causing its grip to lessen. I pushed back once more freeing myself from it's ensnaring grasp.

Swimming back through the water proved to be a challenge, though. I had remembered watching a movie about mermen and mermaids before and recalled the fight scenes. It wasn't much, but I copied the actions I had observed to get myself to freedom. I forced my arms in all sorts of directions and flipped my fin to gather speed. Finally, I reached the container I had awoke in. I shut the door tight and cradled my arm. The water slowly drained out through a tube in the floor, but I wasn't worried about that. I needed to find a way to stop the bleeding in my arm. Otherwise, I wasn't going to make it back to the castle.

Oh, right… I had forgotten all about it until then. I was more worried about enjoying myself than getting back home. Back to the others. Back to Keith. I forced my head in my hands and let out a small sob. I couldn't do this. I wouldn't ever get back home.

KEITH POV

The Galra were strong, but so were we. Shiro and I took them out in no time. We left them lying on the ground crying out in pain as we took off in the direction of the door, fully expecting more to come.

We made it to the door with no further encounters. "It can't be this easy," I stated. "Shiro, something's wrong."

"I know. I don't like it, either," he sounded a little put off.

"What should we do?"

"We go back to our lions. That's all we can do. We'll try to track down Lance's signal from there. I already have Pidge doing that. That's how I found you, remember?" I nodded slightly. We ran out the doors and into the deserted sand. Following marks that Shiro had made in the ground, we found our way back to the lions and the rest of Voltron. Well, all but Lance, that was. He was still missing.

"Have you located him yet?" that was Shiro.

"Not yet. I'm still looking. With the sand blowing everywhere it's difficult to capture the signals. I don't think I'll be able to locate him until this dust storm blows over.

"Right. By the time that happens, he'll probably be dead!" I said that. They all looked up at me.

"Look, Keith, we'll find him, ok? Don't worry." Hunk was trying to reassure me, but I wouldn't accept it.

"You can't say that. Pidge can't even track his signal and no one has any idea where he was last seen. Hell, I don't even remember how I got into the cell I was in! How are we supposed to find him, exactly? What if the storm never 'blows' over'?" Ok, I admit it; I was out of line. But I was scared and irritated. What else was I supposed to say?

"I'm sorry. Keith, we all know this is hard for you. It's hard for us, too, bu-"

"No, Shiro, it's not just hard for me. I'm dying inside." I knew I said too much.

"...Uhh, Keith?" Pidge was, without fail, the first one to speak up. "What do you mean you're dying inside?" She looked like she already knew the answer.

"N-nothing… shit..." I turned my head away to hide my blush.

"Hah! I knew it!" She whispered something to Shiro, and he nodded. They both looked back at me and winked. So much for my secret. Wait… Does that mean that Lance knows?! That's not good…

"Well, it's only logical for an emo child to be 'dying' inside', right?" Shiro looked at me with a smirk.

"R-right… wait… Hey! That's not fair!" I glared at him for a second. The others laughed, causing my blush to flair.

A sudden beep-beep noise came from whatever device Pidge was using. I looked over at her, trying to read her expression.

"Guys, you're not going to like this…"

"What is it?" Shiro asked.

"The storm's getting worse. At this rate, we won't be able to stay on the planet until it dissipates. We're going to have to go back to the castle for the night"

"N-no, wait! We can't leave without Lance!" I was shocked that she'd even suggest it.

Pidge looked up at me with a sad smile. "Keith, I understand, but it's not safe. According to this, the storm will be gone by morning. We'll come back and find him then, ok? We're only heading back to the castle. I promise we won't leave without Lance."

I looked at everyone else as they nodded in agreement. How could they do this? His life was on the line, and we didn't have the slightest idea where he was! Shiro hadn't even bothered to check the other parts of the building I was in before coming to get me. What if he was there? And we're just leaving?!

"Keith, come on. You know as well as I do that we can't find him in this storm. It's dangerous and if we get killed, then what hope does he have? Who's going to save him if we're dead?" Shiro made a good point. And yet again, "Space Dad" was right...

I nodded slowly. There wasn't any point in getting myself killed. I stepped over to Red sadly, glanced worriedly over at Blue, then prepared to go back to the castle.


	2. Escape

A.N. Hello! I'm very sorry I took so long to upload the next chapter! I don't have any electronics during the summer so I had to wait until school started again... Anyway, Enjoy!

KEITH POV.

There was a lonely feeling in the castle that night. Without Lance there, everything seemed quiet. _Too_ quiet. As soon as we got back and put our lions away, everyone headed to their rooms for the night. After everything that had happened that day we were all exhausted. I'm sure everyone else slept just fine but, no matter how hard I tried, I didn't sleep at all. I was so worried about Lance. I replayed and re-replayed the events from the day in my head, trying to find a solution to the problem I currently faced: Allura called for training first thing in the morning like always and breakfast was after that. Then we received the signal coming from a planet nearby. We reacted to it and that's when we lost Lance. Was there anything that happened that had slipped my mind? Something I could recall to help us figure out where Lance could have been taken? My memory was hazy due to the fact that I hadn't even been conscious for half the time. I realized I wasn't going to be any help to anyone.

LANCE POV.

I took a deep breath and willed myself to pull together. I wasn't this weak, was I? I _was_ going to find a way back home. I _was_ going to find Keith. However, _how_ I was going to go about that… I didn't have a clue.

First thing was first: I pushed myself back out of the box and allowed myself to fall to the floor. My initial instinct was to swim over to one of the poles attached to the platform. It seemed to be made of the same metal-like substance as the container I was in.

At the bottom of the pole was a small door held closed by a similar pin-and-lever mechanism as the box. I pulled the pin and opened the door to investigate. It was heavy and when I grazed my hand against it, a small cloud of green formed in the water around it.

Inside was a narrow, spiraling staircase that rose to the top of the pole. I swam to the lowest stair, the only one submerged in water, and craned my head up to get a view of the top. Along the walls were small, fire-lit pieces of wood.

I wasn't sure where this led, but it was worth a try. After submerging myself underwater, I decided to climb the stairs. If I needed to I could slide back down them to get to the water, but investigating this was worth a shot. Gradually, I ascended each stair keeping aware of my fin as I went. I didn't want to dry out before I had a chance to escape.

KEITH POV.  
The next morning we all gathered for breakfast. I was fidgety and the food goo didn't look very appealing. After about 10 minutes of staring at my plate, I excused myself to go train. I needed to get my mind off Lance and for now, the best way to do that was engaging in combat. I needed a distraction.  
I set the bot to level two and pulled a staff out of the pile that was in the control room. I wasn't certain why they were there, but I didn't focus on that. The training program started and I prepared myself to fight.

Not long after I had started, Shiro entered the training deck. I paused the session and glanced in his direction before completely ending the program and walking over to him. "Yeah?"

"Keith, we need to talk."

"Did you find Lance?" I was hopeful as the words escaped my mouth.

"Err, not yet… but we're still looking." And with that, the hope disappeared.

"Oh."

"Look… we all know he means a lot to you. We're trying as hard as we can, ok? We'll find him and bring him back home safely. I promise. But for now, will you come with me?" I nodded gently and followed him out of the room. So much for my distraction.

I followed Shiro back to my room. He walked in and made himself comfortable on my bed. He patted to the spot next to him, gesturing for me to sit. I stepped over, worried about what he was going to say.

"You look depressed," he said bluntly as I sat down next to him.

"I… what?"

"I'm not going to scold you or anything, so you don't need to worry so much," he said, smiling softly in my direction. I nodded and tried to relax. "Do you remember anything about what happened? Anything that can help us?"

"I… don't… I've been going through it all but, I… It's all a blur…" I shook my head. "But there has to be something! I just can't remember anything of use tha-" Shiro put his hand on my shoulder.

"Keith, calm down. You don't need to stress about it. If you can't remember, it's ok. We'll find him, I promise." He squeezed his hand and let go of me. "Now that that's out of the way, there's something else I've been meaning to ask you."

"Ok?"

"Keith, you like Lance, right?"

"U-umm…. Y-yeah…" I whispered, embarrassed of my feelings that I didn't know how to handle.

"I thought so. Well, if you ever need any advice, you know you can always come to me, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Ok," he said. Shiro patted my back and stood up. Giving a final smile he made for the door and exited into the hallway beyond.


	3. Exploration

_A/N. Yay, another update! Enjoy and don't forget to review ^^_

LANCE POV.

It was cold in the stairwell. Each stair had a few spots of water on it, indicating someone, or some_thing_ had climbed them shortly before I did. I knew I was in for a surprise once I'd gotten to the top, but I didn't know how bad it was going to be.

As I climbed, slipping on the water and hitting my fin on several stairs as I slid down them, I became increasingly aware that if I were to get out of this mess, I'd need to figure out how to move around without drying out. I'd need to find a bucket or something to carry water with me or something. But at that moment, I knew I wasn't going to be able to do anything until I'd reached the top of the stairs.

I pulled myself up the next four, stole a glance above me, and continued to climb. I could feel my fin sliding against the corners of each one as I went, reminding me of this disaster.

As I reached the final stair, I glanced up at the door in front of me. It was a lot taller than the one below and since I didn't have the advantage of the water, it was much more difficult to reach the handle. I had to use the frame around the door to pull myself up in order to reach it, allowing myself to rest on my fin.

I twisted the cold, damp piece of metal and fell through the doorway into the room on the other side. To my relief, there was no one inside. I slid myself to the nearest table and pulled myself up. It appeared to be an old lab room, full of web-covered instruments and old, rotting carcases.

Ignoring the dead bodies, I took the time to examine the walls for another door. There were three: the one behind me and two on the opposite wall, both with windows covered with a piece of cloth. I slipped back onto the floor and was about to head for the nearest door, the one one the right, when I suddenly heard footsteps on the other side of it. There were two voices talking in a language I couldn't understand, but it sounded like they were in the middle of a very heated argument. I pushed myself backwards until I came to a small cupboard. I opened the door, took out the singular glass that was inside, and crammed myself in. Quickly I shut the door as my breathing heightened.

The creatures beyond the door opened it and came into the room. I could hear them yelling over each other as they made their way across the room. One stopped and opened the cupboard next to mine. I heard glass being tossed aside, breaking as it hit the floor, and pieces of what sounded like metal clinking together.

"It's not here, Galtrix! I told you that! Why don't you listen?!" One of them said.

'They know English?!' I thought as I tried to control my breathing and stay silent.

"It was! The last time I was in here I swear I saw it in this cupboard! Maybe it's in this one." My breath hitched.

'Pleasedon'topenthedoor!' I repeated in my head as fast as I could as I waited for the inevitable. I hear another door squeak and released my breath, realizing that whoever it was outside was talking about the cupboard on the other side.

"Ahah! I knew it! Look, Thorin! I knew it was in here!"

"Yes, I suppose you were right. But… What is it anyway?" Throin asked.

"It's a tantic mantripol."

"A… what?"

"You'll see! We'll be rid of those good-for-nothing Galra in no ti-" a crash, then a thump.

"G-Galtrix?!" A sob, a scream, then another thump. I crossed my fingers and hoped that I wouldn't be found.

Someone stepped over to the cupboards and stopped in front of mine. I heard the scuffling of someone smaller behind them. "F-father, why did you do that?"

"They were going to get themselves hurt. That device they had would never have worked after being left idle for this many years, son. They would never have listened to reason. This is what's best for them."

"But, Father! Will they be ok?"

"They will be fine, my boy. They'll recover in a few days. For now, let's get them back to camp." Two bodies were dragged across the floor, two sets of feet left the room. I let out a breath and waited a few minutes before getting out of the cupboard. The device that had fallen was still intact. It looked like some sort of gun with purple liquid in the cartridge. It resembled a paint gun.

I picked it up, aimed at a nearby chair, and pulled the trigger. A silent blast of the liquid shot out at incredible speed and hit it. It melted the chair in a matter of seconds leaving nothing but a puddle of hot, liquid metal. Smirking, I thought, _wouldn't it be fun to melt the Galra like that? Those bastards turned me into what I am, right? So why not pay it back?_

I drug myself across the floor to the cupboard that the gun was in. Inside were more cartridges and a belt with a holster. I put it on, being careful not to shoot myself, and loaded the empty side pocket with cartridges.

I made my way to the door keeping sure to avoid the puddle of melted chair.

KEITH POV.

I sat on my bed for an hour thinking about what Shiro had said. He was right. He _had_ to be right. We _were_ going to find Lance and he _was_ going to come home. Back to his lion, his friends, and back to me. I decided the silence was too loud so I got up and showered.

I let the water flow over my body as I forced myself to relax. I wasn't any good to anyone wound up like this. I needed to calm down to think clearly. I went over the past events for what seemed like the 500th time that day. There had to have been something there that could help.

Suddenly I recalled something I hadn't before. Something that _could_ help us. Something worth remembering. I quickly turned off the water and got dressed. I left my room and made my way to Shiro's as fast as I could.

"Yeah?" I heard him say as I knocked on his door.

"It's Keith" I could hear him step up to the door. It opened revealing a very tired looking Shiro. "Are you ok?" I asked.

"Fine! I'm fine. Just thinking about what we could do to find Lance," He responded.

"Actually, I think I may have remembered something that might help."

"That's great!" he said as he patted me on the back. "Come on in," he offered as he made his way back to his bed. I followed. "So, what is it?"

"You remember the cell I was in, right?"

"Yeah?"

"And how I said that Lance was in the one across from mine?"

"Yeah," he agreed.

"And how I said I woke up and he wasn't there?"

"Keith, were are you going with this?"

"I woke up before he was taken, Shiro. I didn't remember it because I couldn't think straight, but after calming down I realized something: I know where he was taken."

"...Keith, are you sure? You're positive you're not making this up?"

"Yes, Shiro! I'm sure!"

"Ok, then where?

"One of the Galra who guarded our cells said something about a lab on the North side of the building. He said that Lance was going to be the next there and I was after him, but I escaped before they took me."

"A lab?"

"Yeah. Something about an experiment tha- Oh no…"

"What is it?"

"Shiro, I think they may be experimenting on his _body_," I said, suddenly aware of the meaning of what the guard had said.

"What gives you that idea?"

"The guard said something about the last one there dying because his body couldn't handle the change," I said.

"We'd better hurry, then," Shiro said as he stood up. "I'll go get the others, you get ready to go." I nodded and made my way to Red's hanger.


	4. Finding Allies

LANCE POV.

On the other side of the door was a wide hallway. The other door in the room had to have lead to this same hallway because there was another door to my left about the length of the room away. I glanced around me, making sure I was alone, then started off toward the right.

I came across several rooms, each one resembling the first until I came to the end. In each room there were different types of instruments I didn't dare touch. Finally, I reached the end of the hallway. In front of me was a door that looked newer than the rest. I hesitated before opening it.

Inside was what looked like a kitchen. There was no one there, as had been the case for the rest of the rooms. I must have been in an abandoned section of wherever I was.

I pulled myself over to the sink and turned it on, letting the water pour over my hand until it got cold. I splashed my fin with it to keep from drying out then drug myself to the cupboards. There had to be something I could use to carry water in one of them.

I looked through each of them hoping to find some sort of small container but instead was met with nothing but pots, pans, and lids. Disappointed, I slid back to the sink. I drenched myself with water one more time before heading back down the hallway.

This time, I went in the opposite direction. As I got further down the hallway the lights began to seem brighter and the flooring and doors seemed to be newer. They looked less worn than the ones I had just opened.

I tried each door until I again came to the end of the hallway. This time, however, the door didn't open into a room.

KEITH POV.

I couldn't stop thinking. I knew I needed to calm down, but after realizing just what the galra were doing to Lance, my mind wouldn't stop creating illogical scenarios. I was worried, that much was certain.

Sliding down the shoot that led to Red's hanger, I struggled to keep my focus on what I was doing. The moment I was seated in the cockpit I took several deep breaths before commanding Red to leave. I set her down by the others who had somehow beaten me out of the castle.

"What's going on, Keith?" Pidge asked over the communication system.

"Yeah, what are we doing in our lions at this time of day?" That was Hunk.

Before I had the chance to sort my thoughts and explain what I had remembered, Shiro answered them for me. "Keith just remembered something that can help us find Lance and from what I could tell, I think it's best we move as quickly as possible. So, here's the plan…"

Lance POV.

I slid myself out of the hallway and into the stairwell beyond the door. _Another set of stairs?!_ I thought to myself as I stared at the long expanse of steps in front of me. There had to have been at least 30 stairs.

Taking a breath I started to climb the stairs one at a time. I wasn't going to let some stupid stairs beat me. I'm Lance! The Sharpshooter! And I had people to live to see again!

I managed to make it to the top of the stairs, but I was exhausted. I slid over to the wall and leaned up against it. Suddenly I heard footsteps coming from the floor above me. As fast as I could I opened the door on the landing, slipped behind it….

...And sat there shocked. I'd pulled myself into a room full of aliens!

"Who are you?!" one of them said as they held a spear to my neck.

"Ack!" I yelled as I pushed myself against the door. "Please don't kill me!" I spat out as fast as I could.

"Who are you?" they asked again.

"I'm Lance," I responded.

"Lance? Where are you from?"

"I just came from the water back that way," I said as I pointed behind me.

"You're a test subject?"

"I guess so," I shrugged.

"And you escaped?"

"Yes! I think so, anyway." The alien lowered its weapon.

"My name is Kogakui. I'm the chief of my people, the Tandski. We are native to this land, but when the Galra came they made us and our fellow planet-dwellers become slaves."

"I'm Lance, the blue paladin of Voltron. It's nice to meet you," I said, holding out a hand. Kogakui simply stared at it. "R-right, so, where am I?"

"You're in our headquarters, Lance of Voltron," someone said.

"Yeah! Our Headquarters!" Whoever had made that statement sounded young, just like the boy from the lab room.

"I see…" I looked around me, taking in my surroundings.


	5. A Little Help

LANCE P.O.V.

The room was huge. It looked like it used to be several rooms but the walls were taken down and replaced with metal beams. Whoever did it didn't do a very good job, though. There was rubble on the ground around where walls once stood. The creatures around me had expressions of both fear and curiosity, but that was nothing new.

"Are you in need of water, Lance of Voltron?" A woman came up to me carrying a small bucket of water.

"That'd be great, actually." Usually I'd have said something flirtatious but her significant other seemed to be standing behind her eyeing me. "Thanks a ton!"

"You're very welcome, Lance of Voltron."

"Please, call me Lance."

"Very well, Lance."

"So… how long have you guys been slaves for the Galra?" I asked as I pulled myself further into the room.

"Four deca-phoebes."

"_Four_?!"

"Yes," the chief said. "We've been waiting for someone to rescue us."

"Well, it looks like we've come to the right planet."

"_We_?"

"The other paladins and I. My friends are back at the Castle." I thought about how worried they must have been. Suddenly a wave of emotion hit me and I could feel my eyes start to water.

"Are you alright, Lance?" the woman asked.

"Yes, I'm ok. It's just that they don't know where I am and they're probably worrying about me. Well, that and I'm worried that something might have happened to them..." I didn't know why I was suddenly opening myself up to them. It might have been that they were the first people I'd met there that I didn't have to hide from, or it might have been that just stating my problems was something I needed to do.

"That seems awful!" There were murmured agreements from a few of the others in the room. I nodded.

KEITH POV.

We landed the lions a safe distance from the building I'd just been rescued from the day before. I jumped out of Red as fast as I could and waited impatiently for the others to follow suit. "Come on, you guys! Lance is in danger!"

"We get it, bud. Calm down," Hunk yawned as he stepped down onto the sand. "It's still suuuper early, though."

"Alright everyone, you know what to do. Keith, you're with me. Hunk and Pidge, don't lose sight of each other. If either of you get separated contact us immediately.

"Alright," Pidge answered. She and Hunk went off first.

"Keith, he's going to be ok," Shiro said.

"Yeah, but what if he isn't?"

"He will be. Now, come on. Let's not keep him waiting." I nodded sharply, turned toward the building, and ran as fast as my legs could carry me. "Hey, wait up!"

'He'll be ok, he'll be ok, he'll be ok…" I repeated it over and over hoping to calm myself down a little. I wasn't going to be any help the way I was. Finally I reached the door and went inside.

"Keith, slow down!" Shiro hissed behind me.

"R-right, sorry. Where do we go from here?"

"Let's check the room you found before. There might be something there."

"Alright." We started off in the direction of the room I'd heard the recording of Lance in.

LANCE POV.

"Do you think you guys could help me get out of here? I can't do much without the others the way I am. I promise I'll find them and we'll be back to rescue you. That's what we do."

"How do we know we can trust you?" the chief asked.

"Err… I'm part of Voltron? Ask the Galra, they'll tell you. We've kicked their butts several times! There was this one time tha- oh, but I guess that doesn't matter right now, does it?" I laughed nervously. "We've saved other planets like this one from the Galra. We'd be more than happy to help you guys, too. Think of it as a "Thanks for not killing me" gift."

"This Voltron thing... What is it?"

"It's a giant robot made of huge robot lions. There are five of us total."

"You mean the Lion Lord?"

"The...what?"

"The Lion Lord! It's a great mythical creature that has five separate parts. Each part is a different color; the Green, the Blue, the Red, the Yellow, and the Dark."

"Yep, that's it!"

"You are a paladin?"

"That I am. The blue one is mine," I answered. 'Didn't I already say that?' I thought to myself.

The chief bowed and said, "We'd be honored to help, Sire! Please forgive us for not treating you with respect! Have mercy, oh Great One!"

"Woah, woah, woah! I'm not gonna hurt you guys!"

"You're not?"

'Geez, how many times do I have to repeat myself?' I thought irritably. "Nope! In fact, I was scared you were going to hurt me. Now, about getting out of here… Is there a way to get rid of this fin first?" I raised it up then lowered it back to the ground. The woman from before continued to dab water on it with a damp cloth.

"I'm afraid we do not know how, Sire."

"That's ok. I'm sure we'll figure something out." Secretly I was terrified. I didn't want to be stuck with a fin forever. I couldn't pilot Blue like this.

"If you want to leave the building, you'll have to go through the water. There is a cave in the far side of the lake that will lead you to a secret door. Many of us have escaped that way. From that door you'll go through a series of low-water caves until you reach the open sea. The others there will help you find your way home."

"Thanks! I guess I'll be on my way, then."

"Here, take this with you!" A little boy ran up to me and placed a necklace in my hand. It was simple, yet so beautiful. There was a simple crystal stone, the color of the sea, attached to a thin rope. I put it on and smiled at the boy. "It'll keep you safe from the monsters!"

"Thank you." I nodded at the others and turned to leave the room. 'Looks like it's back into the water for me…'


	6. One Step Closer

A/N I'm so sorry the updates are so random! I've got a lot on my plate (I'm a teenager in high school... homework _sucks_ XD) Anyway, here's another chapter ^^

KEITH POV.

Upon entering the room we found it empty. There was something about it that seemed a little off, though. It was almost like someone was watching us. I kept my guard up just in case.

"Think you can figure out how to work the computer?" I asked.

"Maybe," Shiro replied as he walked over. He started messing with different buttons until the screen finally turned on. "All right! Ok, let's see what's on here."

I nodded and took a step back, giving him a little space. He fiddled with it until finally a set of boxes showed up. They seemed to be cameras hidden somewhere within the building. Or was it a seperate one? I couldn't quite tell.

"See anything?" Shiro asked as he scanned the screens.

"No…" My eyes drifted from screen to screen until I caught a sudden movement on one. My eyes darted to it, curious as to what it was. "There! Look, that's Lance!"

"You're right, but… Where is he? And is that a…"

"Fin?!" We said in unison. "That's not good… Where's he going?"

"Beats me. For now we need to figure out where he is. Maybe…" he tapped the screen and a map popped up, covering it. It showed several hallways and rooms, some of which had blue dots in them. In one hallway there was a dot that seemed to be slowly but steadily moving in one direction.

"I think that's Lance," I said, pointing to the dot. "And this room is probably full of Galra." I motioned to a room Lance seemed to be heading away from that held a collection of dots. There had to have been about thirty or so.

"Look!" Shiro pointed to a set of coordinates in the corner of the screen.

"Nice! Let's go!" I spun around and started out the door.

"Not yet, Keith. We need to meet back up with the others first."

"That's right…" I paused a moment, waiting for Shiro to catch up. He contacted Pidge and told them that we'd found something. He told them to meet us back at the Lions as soon as possible.

"So… How are we going to do this?" I asked, finally coming to my senses.

"I'm not quite sure yet. For now let's just focus on getting back to the Li….ons…." A group of Galra suddenly appeared in front of us from the hallway beyond.

"Again?" I said, frustrated.

"Looks like it. Let's get this over with…" I nodded and reddied my sword.

LANCE POV.

I pulled myself back down the hallway I came from, gingerly dragging my tail along. I'd hit it on the last stair coming down them and it was slightly bruised now. "Alright…. Which room was it?" I said as I opened each door on the right side of the hall. "It's around here somewhere….. Ah, found it!" I pulled myself inside and back over to the door that led to the water. Slowly and very carefully I descended the stairs I struggled so hard to climb in the first place. Once I hit the water I let out a small sigh.

"Finally…. I got so dried out in there I thought I'd diiieee!" I swam out of the pole and laid on the sand for a moment. It felt nice to not be out of the water. I let myself take a moment to not think; to just relax. The cool, blue water gently made my hair sway, tickling my face as it brushed against it. My fin floated slightly above the sand, spikes naturally lowered and caudal fin slowly, tenderly rippling as a small current flowed beneath it. It was peaceful.

I rested one arm beneath my head and held the other above me, examining the webbing between my fingers. It was slightly torn in places from pulling myself around on the surface, but it was still a beautiful shade of blue. The edges matched the color of the spots on my fin while the base of the webbing was the same as the base of my fin. I moved my hand back and forth in the water, feeling the slight resistance push against it as it moved.

The fish above me swam calmly as if they had nowhere to be. As safe as they looked, however, I knew otherwise. I had to be sure that I didn't make myself bleed while I was in the water. Otherwise I'd be surrounded by them in a matter of seconds, each wanting a piece of me.

I shook the thought from my head as I sat up and prepared myself to go look for this cave the chief had talked about.

KEITH POV.

Finally, we made it back to the Lions. Pidge and Hunk were already there, but it seemed like they'd only just gotten there so I wasn't too worried about being late. "Everyone in your lions. We've got coordinates to where Lance is."

"_Right_!" The three of us got in our lions and got ready to leave.

"Ok, follow me." Shiro took off and flew off in the direction of what was most likely where we'd find Lance.

After a short flight we saw a building made of the same material as the other one but at least four times as big. "Woah… We're supposed to find him in _that_?" Hunk asked.

"I hope so." That was Shiro. "Land here." We landed our lions a safe distance from the building and jumped out onto the sand.

"Hang on just a little while longer, Lance… We're coming for you!" I whispered.


	7. Author's Note!

I haven't forgotten about this, I promise! I'll have the next few chapters up soon! Hang in there until then, Lance! XD


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